Without Action, We Are On Route To ‘Global Suicide,’ Says Climate Expert

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) expert reviewer Dr. Peter Carter says CO2 emissions are on track to see the planet’s temperature increase by 2°C by 2045. It’s “clearly global suicide,” he said. 

It comes a month after the director of the Climate Emergency Institute stated that “global veganization is now a survival imperative.”

Carter is explicit in his recommendation of plant-based diets. He promotes them as a way to significantly reduce emissions and slow down global warming.

Meat and emissions

Every year, just one cow will produce around 220 pounds of methane. But, at least 28 times more effective in heating the planet, cutting these emissions is a global priority.

Recognizing its impact on the planet, the UN demands a 45 percent reduction in methane emissions by 2030. 

“Cutting methane is the strongest lever we have to slow climate change over the next 25 years and complements necessary efforts to reduce carbon dioxide,” UN Environment Programme executive director Inger Andersen said in a statement.

She continued: “The benefits to society, economies, and the environment are numerous and far outweigh the cost.”

“We need international cooperation to urgently reduce methane emissions as much as possible this decade.”

The Plant Based Treaty calls for an immediate reduction in methane emissions from animal agriculture. It implores people to align with its message through the widespread adoption of vegan diets. It says that failure to do so will result in “catastrophic climate breakdown.” 

Carter agrees, stating that all unnecessary methane emissions must be culled. He recommends plant-based diets as a viable course of action.

Swapping meat for plant protein

A recent study, conducted by plant-based protein manufacturer Greenforce, revealed the positive planetary impact of switching beef for pea protein.

The German food tech company found that everyone in the UK switching to pea protein-based meals twice weekly, in place of conventional beef, would save 2.4 million metric tons of methane emissions. 

This is enough to offset all UK aviation emissions and more.